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The Notebooks of Leonardo Da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) possessed arguably the greatest mind the world has ever known. Artist, draftsman, inventor, and philosopher, his contributions to modern society are profound and wide-reaching. Throughout his life, Leonardo kept dozens of notebooks, elegant studies on topics ranging from architecture to botany to philosophy—indeed nearly anything of which the ...more
Hardcover, 632 pages
Published
August 28th 2002
by IndyPublish.com
(first published February 1st 1888)
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Da Vinci was very specific.
On depicting a battle:
"The air must be full of arrows in every direction." (There follows several pages more of instructions, including bits like, "There must not be a level spot that is not trampled with gore.") (p. 26-28)
And his bits on anatomy are famous enough without me. The distance between the corner of your eye and your ear is the same as the height of your ear. Now you know.
But then, on the less specif...more
On depicting a battle:
"The air must be full of arrows in every direction." (There follows several pages more of instructions, including bits like, "There must not be a level spot that is not trampled with gore.") (p. 26-28)
And his bits on anatomy are famous enough without me. The distance between the corner of your eye and your ear is the same as the height of your ear. Now you know.
But then, on the less specif...more
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Lynde
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Everyone
Shelves:
newly-arrived,
ongoing-reading,
parenting,
photography,
kids,
helping,
favorite,
science-non-fiction,
self-growth,
work,
art,
want-to-eat-this,
homeschool
Yes, I just added a "homeschool" shelf. Why? Because I am supplementing a bit. Even private schools don't cut the mustard at this point. I have highly creative children--one of which is a constant stream of inventions. He spews out ideas with dry erase markers to windows, takes garbage from the recycling bin as if it is a golden treasure. He even CRIES because he thinks I am wasting a precious gem by recycling a cardboard box or an egg crate. Because "mom--can't you SEE tha...more
Barb
rated it
·
review of another edition
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review of another edition
Recommends it for:
artists
Shelves:
general-nonfiction,
didn-t-finish
Such a look at the way da Vinci thought. Usually, we see his visual works. This book translates and organizes his written journals to provide us a look at his thoughts on art and the world around him. Very enjoyable to browse, though not necessarily a work to be read straight through.
One of the very few books where I keep wanting to read more and more and more. Its a small book, only 220 pages or so but something in it which captures my attention often. I was thrilled to get an insight into Da vinci's mind, his drawings, thoughts, his philosophies on art and most important as a human. His Moral precepts for the student of painting is so useful for art students and artists alike.
Everything is precise and yet detailed in his notes. This book is my reference guide....more
Everything is precise and yet detailed in his notes. This book is my reference guide....more
4 stars for this book.. and 5 stars for Leonardo...
What a person... Everyone who is thinking of taking up painting, must go through this book atleast once.. It is so amazing, how Leonardo noticed every single action in a daily life but we don't notice them.. The rare facts in the books are so amazing..
According to Leonardo, painting is not just something I or any of us do in my classrooms in the kindergarten.. I was so amazed by the tips and essentials recommended by Leon...more
What a person... Everyone who is thinking of taking up painting, must go through this book atleast once.. It is so amazing, how Leonardo noticed every single action in a daily life but we don't notice them.. The rare facts in the books are so amazing..
According to Leonardo, painting is not just something I or any of us do in my classrooms in the kindergarten.. I was so amazed by the tips and essentials recommended by Leon...more
"Force arises from dearth or abundance; it is the child of physical motion, and the grandchild of spiritual motion, and the mother and origin of gravity." 186
"Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past. Prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly." 252
"Wisdom is the daughter of experience." 288
"Just as eating contrary to the inclination is injurious to the health...more
"Science is the observation of things possible, whether present or past. Prescience is the knowledge of things which may come to pass, though but slowly." 252
"Wisdom is the daughter of experience." 288
"Just as eating contrary to the inclination is injurious to the health...more
If you ever wondered what the GREAT Leonardo thought, then this is the book to get. In here are the words written by Leonardo of his philisophical ideas, lives of where he lived and his surroundings, his theories on color, perspective, proportion, architecture, foliage, physiology and so many other things that the Great One was curious about.
One weakness though, the pictures were randomly arranged, sometimes I wondered why some were even there because it has no connection to the arti...more
One weakness though, the pictures were randomly arranged, sometimes I wondered why some were even there because it has no connection to the arti...more
One of the defining periods of my life was when I read Leonardo's notebooks. His awareness, curiosity, and maddening drive towards perfection of his understanding of reality is beautiful.
You really get a grasp of his personality from the notebooks. He suffered greatly from the thought that he'd die before I got it all figured out.
You really get a grasp of his personality from the notebooks. He suffered greatly from the thought that he'd die before I got it all figured out.
A nice summary of Da VInci's notes translated to English. Fascinating to read and a book I think I will reread every so often.
One piece of criticism is that the images should have been captioned (or at least some of them).
One piece of criticism is that the images should have been captioned (or at least some of them).
Whenever I see the grammar police rear their ugly head, I'll remember LDV wrote backwards in an indecipherable scrawl and with an akward form of shorthand.
Este libro es una joya. Lo compré hace años después de cenar en un sitio de esos que te ofrecen un sinfín de cosas a deshora por la portada y el título. Acabé de leerlo a las tres de la mañana. Las tres, hora en que desperté a mi hermano y se lo leí en voz alta de un tirón.
Todavía me duele el cuerpo de tanto reirme. Y todo lo que nos enseña el maestro Leonardo. Por ejemplo, si tengo que sentar a un asesino en mi mesa para que me haga un trabajo, consulto este libro y tendré la seguridad de...more
Todavía me duele el cuerpo de tanto reirme. Y todo lo que nos enseña el maestro Leonardo. Por ejemplo, si tengo que sentar a un asesino en mi mesa para que me haga un trabajo, consulto este libro y tendré la seguridad de...more
touching the big papers is really exciting. He has a big brain so he has lots o thing about everything . amazing.
Short punchy excerpts that provide insight into a genius making his way in the world over 500 years ago.
Leonardo's work is outstanding, this book is good, but the presentation could have been a bit more powerful
The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci (Oxford World's Classics) by Leonardo da Vinci (1998)
Most of the original text and sketches have of course been lost either by time or by Leonardo's own design (he deliberately corrupted his own texts to keep his competitors from stealing his works). It is a true shame that this knowledge is lost.
Any free kindle edition is easily worth 4 stars. It is a rare treat to see Leonardo's mind at work. He was one of the most gifted intellects ever created and just watching how he 'pieced' the workings of life and the known universe together...more
Any free kindle edition is easily worth 4 stars. It is a rare treat to see Leonardo's mind at work. He was one of the most gifted intellects ever created and just watching how he 'pieced' the workings of life and the known universe together...more
Too much to read but informative. :)
Heather
rated it
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review of another edition
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review of another edition
Shelves:
15th-century,
art,
italy,
non-fiction,
read-2011,
translated-italian,
16th-century,
bloom-canon,
own
Because I'm a copy cat...
smart man for his time
inspiring book
I liked the ending and the sketches.
You don't ever really finish this book... it's something I think I'll go back to again and again, for little snippets , inspiration and gestures from a genius.
A great coffee table book that people will actually want to read. This does not contain reproductions of Da Vinci's most famous works - this is a condensed compilation of the 7,000 pages that comprise Da Vinci's codici (manuscripts/notebooks), which address a wide array of subjects, and is illustrated by his lesser known sketches.
Amy
rated it
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review of another edition
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Artists, architects, dreamers, the intelligent and the curious
This man lived on a separate plane, didn't he? One look at the work he did, trying to figure out how his mind worked, and you'll be as blown away as I.
The book is large and heavy; a coffee-table book for sure, but when I saw it I had to have it:)
The book is large and heavy; a coffee-table book for sure, but when I saw it I had to have it:)
da vinci's interesting insights into a variety of topics; in particular, beauty and the art of depiction. would be great if the illustrations were included.
Very easy to read, yet interesting and thought provoking at the same time. Da Vinci demonstrates just how great a genius he was for his times.
I 'm very astonished by the way he used to think so many years ago! learnt a lot!
Amazing read about studying the mind of one of the most amazing intellectuals of all-time.
THE GREAT BOOK!
painter, sculptor, architect, inventor, anatomist, botanist, zoologist, physicist, set designer, customer maker.. and many more roles.. but one man..
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Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian polymath: painter, sculptor, architect, musician, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist and writer. Leonardo has often been described as the archetype of the Renaissance man, a man whose unquenchable curiosity was equaled only by his powers of invention. He is widely co...more
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“All sciences are vain and full of errors that are not born of Experience, the mother of all Knowledge.”
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“Man has much power of discourse which for the most part is vain and false; animals have but little, but it is useful and true, and a small truth is better than a great lie.”
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